Question

My three-month-old daughter has just been diagnosed as having a
hole in her heart.

I have not been given any further information and cannot find
any relevant information.

Could you give me some information on the condition?

Answer

It must have been quite a shock to be told that your daughter
has a 'hole in the heart' and it's a shame you haven't been given much
information about her condition, but I hope we can remedy that.

The heart is divided into four chambers; the upper two chambers
are called the atria and the lower two, the ventricles.

If a baby is born with something wrong with the heart they are
said to have a congenital heart defect. The term 'hole in the heart' usually
means that there is a defect in the wall between two of the heart's chambers.

If the defect is between the atria the condition is called an
atrial septal defect or ASD.

A hole between the ventricles is known as a ventricular septal
defect or VSD.

VSDs are quite common, varying from tiny defects no bigger than
a pinhole in size to much larger ones.

Small defects are more common than large ones, often cause the
baby no problems at all, and 30 per cent or more of them will close
spontaneously during early childhood.

Large VSDs may cause problems, which necessitate the baby having
drug treatment and/or surgery at some stage. ASDs can also vary in size from
small to large.

Most children with ASDs are free of any major symptoms, but they
may get a bit more puffed during exercise than other children and their growth
may be slightly impaired. Larger ASDs usually require surgery to correct the
defect.

You need to find out from the specialist who has seen your
daughter what the exact name of her condition is, and then you will be able to
find out more information relevant to her condition.

I'm sure you would find it useful to contact the
Children's Heart Federation, as they can provide a
great deal of information about congenital heart defects and can offer support
and advice to families looking after a child with a heart problem.

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